Taste-Test: Metroid Fusion

Rated: E for Everyone Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 Saving: 3 Slots

Most of you have been waiting for the next installment of the Metroid series for many, many years. The wait is over. Last month, Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime were released, and fans have praised both games. Today I embark on my first Metroid ever (Metroid Fusion,) and I'll be telling you what I think of it. So sit back and enjoy my thoughts on the next adventure of Samus Aran.

When I first got Metroid, I had my doubts. As I’ve already mentioned, I've never played a single Metroid until now. I'm the kind of gamer that enjoys fast paced action games like Sonic the Hedgehog, or a superb storyline like Final Fantasy 3. Well, Metroid has some compelling gameplay and a quite interesting storyline to go along with it. The story takes place on a planet called SR388. Samus was there to help reconstruct the ecosystem, devestated after she got rid of the remaining Metroids there. As she was doing this, an X parasite attacked her, and she fell into a coma. She didn't have a very good chance of survival. Doctors then found out that by using cells from a Metroid, they could form a vaccine against this disease. Samus regained consciousness, but her power suit had changed. Now Samus must rid SR388 of these vile creatures before its too late.

The first thing I found while playing was a navigation room. These rooms will tell you where to go and what to do. It helps me figure my way out of difficult places, and I like that, of course. There are also Recharge rooms, which will recharge your missiles and restore your energy. Data rooms are for downloading new power-ups for Samus. Throughout the game, you'll find a whole lot of power-ups after beating bosses. I learned this when I beat the first boss (Which was hard, because I only had one energy tank then). And those are the basics of finding your way around the world of SR388.

When I first picked up the game, I was worried about the sound. Although the sound of Game Boy Advance games is usually somewhat ok, there are a lot of GBA games that just suck when it comes to sound. Well, I was sure in for a surprise when I turned on this game. The sound is the best I've heard on the Game Boy Advance. These tunes fit into the dark, moody world of SR388. The graphics are pretty nice too. The world is filled with nicely detailed enemies, and the world is fully detailed too. Samus looks ok, but not excellent. But hey, I'm not picky when it comes to graphics, so I won’t complain about them.

Overall, my experience with Metroid Fusion has been amazing. The sound and graphics are something that you can gloat about, and the gameplay is simply addicting. As of now, I'm only around Sector 4. I've been hearing that Metroid Fusion is somewhat short, so who knows, maybe I'm almost done. But what I know now is that Metroid Fusion is definitely a candidate for best GBA game of 2002. Expect my review on the game in the coming weeks.

Bryan Rose